This is my first review, so I hope everything is OK! Please let me know if they aren't!

Nicoletta Ceccoli was born in San Marino, Italy and graduated from the Institute of Art in Urbino where she studied animation cinema.
While Ceccoli is gaining recognition as a painter, she is already well known as an award winning children’s book illustrator. Working with publishers in Italy, the US, and the UK, some of her credits include The Faery’s Gift, Fiendish Deeds (Joy of Spooking), Horns and Wrinkles, and Oscar and the Mooncats. In 2001, Nicoletta was awarded with the Andersen prize as best Italian illustrator of the year. She is also a four time recipient of the ‘Award of Excellence’ from Communication Arts. As well, in 2006 she received the silver medal from Society of Illustrators (New York). Source

Beautiful Nightmares is a collection of Nicoletta Ceccli's art. The book is 200 pages, filled with surreal all-colour acrylic paintings of young girls. There are five chapters, with all the paintings in it generally conforming to a specific theme. For example, Chapter 4 "Water Girls" contains girls with fish. Paintings take up a full page, or even a two page thread. About a third of the pages contain close ups of specific parts of the painting. The only text is the painting names, and a biography at the back.

I bought this book on a whim, because I was intrigued by the image on the cover, and I think I got a real gem. I love the juxtaposing of the soft, muted colour paintings of little girls with insects, dragons, and surreal elements.